


Titan Trees

by sciencefictioness



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, Domestic Fluff, Don't Make Me Come Over There, Fluff, Levi Get Your Shit Together, M/M, Married Dorks, Post-Canon, Smut, Titan Eren, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 08:58:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5491361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sciencefictioness/pseuds/sciencefictioness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren found the perfect Christmas tree for the house.  Or he thought he had, until Levi shot him down brutally.  Now Levi needs to find a way to make it up to Eren.  Written for Ereri Secret Santa 2015.  Canonverse fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Titan Trees

**Author's Note:**

  * For [erenbaeger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/erenbaeger/gifts).



Levi opened his front door to grab the newspaper, barefooted with a blanket wrapped around him to fight the chill of winter air that he knew would assault him. It was Christmas Eve, and he'd woken up alone and shivering. Without Eren there wrapped around him like his own personal furnace Levi was cold, teeth chattering. He always griped that the kid was too hot, limbs too heavy. Snored too loud. Drooled too much. But the bed was empty without Eren there, and no matter how deeply he burrowed into their blankets, it was no use. So he clutched the thick fleece comforter over his shoulders and trudged to the kitchen only to find that Eren was nowhere to be seen, though he'd made Levi tea already and left it over a low fire on the stove. Levi grumbled as he poured a cup, _you'll scorch the tea like that you idiot,_ before dragging himself to the front door. Tea in hand, steaming hot, so when he looked up and startled it sloshed over his fingers, scalding the skin of Levi's knuckles.

"Fucking shit!"

The cup fell to the ground as he bit out a curse, the ceramic thumping into a fresh blanket of snow harmlessly, and Levi shot a vicious glare at the figure in the yard. The fifteen meter tall figure, grinning in that feral way of his, cheeks split wide to reveal all of his teeth. Eren crouched in his titan form next to the house, looking smug and satisfied when he leaned down to nuzzle at Levi's furious face. He batted angrily at the Eren's nose, causing his giant brows to furrow sadly.

"Goddamnit, Eren! When I said we could have a Christmas tree this is not what I meant!" 

Eren looked at the tree he held in one hand, an enormous fir of some sort broken off at the roots to leave a jagged stump behind. It was massive, at least three meters tall, the branches thick and broad at the base, and though it looked small in Eren's fist it would take up their entire living room and then some. A beautiful tree, to be sure, but not one they could keep indoors by any means. Levi sighed, shaking his head at the scout and crossing his arms. There was snow in Eren's shaggy titan hair, along with some twigs here and there caught up in the strands. Eren cocked his head to the side in a canine way, not understanding why Levi was upset, offering up the tree like some sort of treasure. A child with a toy he was proud of, showing it off to his friends. Levi held his hand out, gesturing at the doorway to their home as his knuckles began to throb, skin red and inflamed. 

"It won't fit in the fucking doorway, Jaeger! How are we supposed to get it inside? Cut out the wall? Do you even think before you go running off to do this shit?"

Eren frowned, the expression strange on his face, glancing at the door and then the tree in his hand. Realization dawned on him, and his shoulders slumped as he slowly set the tree down on the ground. Head falling forward, hair covering his eyes, embarrassment radiating off of him. He huffed out a sound that Levi knew from experience to be an apology, the closest he could get to _'I'm sorry'_ with his titan throat. _Oh, no._ Eren looked _devastated,_ all that cheerful energy drained out of him in an instant. Levi felt regret surge up in his chest, sharp and acidic, and he wished he could swallow the words back into his mouth.

"Eren-"

But Eren was gone, bounding back towards Wall Rose as quickly as he could without shaking the ground beneath him, and even on horseback Levi would have a hard time keeping up. Once upon a time there would have been townspeople shrieking, fleeing their homes and rushing for the safety of the shelters at the sight of him. They were accustomed to Eren lumbering about in his titan form sometimes now, carrying heavy objects or working with new recruits, and the few people he passed on his way barely batted an eye. Waved absently, or shook their heads. It was only then he noticed Hange in her 3D gear and winter cloak, glaring at Levi from the end of his walk.

"He spent hours out there in the woods between here and Maria, looking for the perfect tree for you. You're such an asshole, Levi." His mouth opened and closed, gaping like a fish, unable to defend himself in the face of her anger. She was right. He was an asshole.

It was the first Christmas after the titans had been defeated, only six months or so since the chaos really died down. The gates were still closed most of the time, the people wary of any enemies that might be lingering, though the Scouting Legion had not laid eyes on a single titan since their victory. Now the scouts took expeditions outside the walls to map out territory, and look for resources they could exploit, or terrain that would be suitable for development. They resettled villages that had lain in ruin after Wall Maria fell, the people of the underground relocating there to stand under the sun for the first time. Maybe some of the citizens were afraid the titans were not truly gone, but others were restless, desperate to get outside into a world wide open and unbound by stones. Once warmer weather came, Squad Levi and all the Survey Corps veterans would be headed west, where all their information suggested the ocean would be. Ostensibly for Hange's research purposes, but everybody in the scouts knew better.

The Shiganshina trio was dying to see it, and if they didn't send an expedition, the three would probably take off on their own. Dragging Levi along with them, because Eren was nothing if not persuasive when it came to his Captain.

His husband, now, the ring heavy on Levi's finger as he looked at the tree in his yard, forlorn where it jutted up out of the snow. Only married scouts were allowed to reside outside the barracks, the Corps now permitting them to live with their spouses in the face of a new era of peace, so long as their homes were close to Scouting Legion headquarters. That wasn't why Levi had gotten down on one knee in front of Eren, though, heart both in his throat and on his sleeve. He loved that boy more than he'd loved anything or anyone in his entire life. When they'd said the vows they'd written, in front of the soldiers they'd fought beside, nothing had ever felt more right. Levi might only have been wearing that ring for a handful of months now, but he never wanted to take it off. Kept it on when he bathed, when he cleaned. When he donned his gear, or mounted his horse, or checked his blades. Trained scouts, or went to stupid meetings that Erwin insisted he attend. A constant reminder that even though they'd lost so much, everything had been worth it.

The titans were gone, and Eren _loved_ him. Nothing else mattered anymore besides the boy who crawled in bed next to him at night. Shared his tent when they went outside the walls. Knew how to make his tea just the way he liked. Could make it better than Levi did now, though the Captain would never admit it. When he didn't leave it on the stove to scorch, anyway.

Except now the boy had gone out of his way to do something nice for him, and Levi shit all over Eren's gesture with a handful of words. Hange was still scowling at him, and he sighed heavily.

"Go get me a few of the baby scouts who are on duty at the stables today, and some shovels. We have work to do." 

..............................................

Eren made his way slowly back home, a smaller tree now clutched in his fist, feeling defeated in a way that reached all the way down to his titan bones. He really was an idiot sometimes, Eren knew that, but when Levi talked to him like a subordinate instead of a spouse in their own front yard it made him ache inside. Levi had come a long way since they moved in together, and usually when they walked through the door to their home all the baggage and hierarchy of the scouts fell away. They were just Eren and Levi, and neither one was in charge within those walls. Eren could breathe there, could walk up to Levi and wrap his arms around him without hesitation or fear of reprisal. Kiss his way from Levi's hair down to his jaw, nuzzle into his throat and ease his hands into clothes that were not secured by harnesses and belts. _Fuck,_ he'd _hated_ those god damned harnesses when he first started going after Levi in earnest. Eren kept convincing himself if he could just get down to all that skin Levi's hesitation would melt away, because he could see the love in those steely eyes clear as day. Could feel it when they kissed, when Levi's fingers tangled in his hair. Could taste it in the sighs he let out into Eren's mouth.

He'd been right for the most part. The first time he'd jumped on Levi without belts and buckles and leather keeping them apart, he'd been buried between those muscular thighs soon after. Maybe he'd needed to feel all their skin sliding together just as much as Eren had, because Levi broke down for him in all the best ways. After that it was almost impossible to keep Levi off of him, even when they were on duty. Levi shoved him into broom closets and underneath stairwells. He climbed into the communal shower after the scout, fingers in Eren's mouth to keep him quiet as Levi pressed him against the wall. Tossed Eren bodily into horse stalls piled high with fresh hay. They rolled around together, mindless with want, and then picked pieces of straw out of each other's hair and clothes all day long. 

Eren was pretty sure that's when his squad mates began putting the pieces together. Levi limping his way to dinner, Eren's hair looking as just fucked as they felt, wild and untamable. Both of them pink cheeked with hay stuck in their harnesses, the straps twisted in their haste to get dressed... Hange made Eren a cake. It tasted awful, but he ate every bite smiling. She'd always been their most outspoken supporter, even before the rest of the squad or their superiors knew about them. Hange covered for them when they were almost discovered more than once, and when Erwin found out they were together, she was ready to go down swinging to keep them from being separated. It ended up not being necessary, Commander Smith couldn't be bothered to care about which of his subordinates were fucking one another, but Eren loved Hange like family all the same. She was his sister, as much as Mikasa was, and he'd spent countless hours with her now. Planning upcoming expeditions, or experimenting on his titan form, even though the war was over.

Staring up at the stars at night from their rooftop, Levi curled into his chest, Hange pointing out constellations that Eren could never quite find. Not that it mattered. They still shone bright in Levi's eyes, even without names.

Hange went into the woods outside Wall Rose with him that morning, and they'd flitted around through the trees on their 3D gear, searching for the perfect tree. They still carried their blades, as did the rest of the scouts who had seen true combat. Everyone felt naked without them, and though the newest recruits had the choice, the veterans all kept their steel. Most of the trees wouldn't do, weren't good enough for Levi, as far as Eren was concerned. Were misshapen, or far too large. Or little saplings that would fall over if they tried to decorate them, branches twisting strangely. He'd finally found one he thought was just right, taking off his gear and passing it to Hange before going titan and wrenching it from the ground. Eren had fucked it up like he always did, and it took almost as long to find a replacement, though there was no joy in snapping the tree free of its roots this time. This fir was even smaller in his fist, and he'd held it carefully as he walked down the street he lived on, eyes downcast. Levi would most likely be outside waiting for him, arms crossed with a scowl on his face. Eren didn't blame him, really. He was probably exhausting to live with day in and day out, talking constantly and never giving Levi any space. Clothes all over the floor, falling asleep on every possible surface, leaving Levi to pick up after him and wake Eren up or carry him to bed.

Would Levi get tired of him eventually? _'Sorry, this was a mistake. I can't do it anymore.'_ It might take months, or years, but no one could put up with Eren forever, could they? 

When he reached the house he called home he sighed, finally gathering the courage to pull his eyes from the ground. His breath caught in his chest, a strange rumbling noise pouring from his giant throat unaware. His too-big tree was standing upright in their yard, stump buried deep in the ground, branches spreading out beautifully. Coiled around it in layers was what at first glance Eren assumed to be tinsel, but then he realized it was fabric. Floral fabric that he recognized from putting linens away in their closet, some old sheets that had been torn up and knotted into a makeshift rope. There were big wooden decorations tied to the fir here and there, shaped and painted to look like candy canes and snowflakes, and they looked familiar, too. 

Eren had seen them decorating the outside of the local Garrison Troops headquarters only two days ago.

Hange was nowhere to be seen, but when Eren let his eyes seek out the top of the tree, Levi was there. Wearing his 3D gear and winter cloak, hooked into both a nearby tree and the one he was perched on, wrestling with an oversized star. When he saw Eren staring, Levi yelled at him in an exasperated tone.

"Are you gonna stand there and watch me struggle or come help me?"

Eren blinked fast, glowing eyes beginning to sting. Could he cry, as a titan? He never had before, never had a chance to so much as breathe when they'd lost a soldier in battle, and wasn't sure it was possible to shed tears. Eren didn't want to find out right then, and he took a few steps forward to deposit his little tree by their doorway before moving towards Levi. Plucked the wooden star from his hand and nestled it into the branches at the top of the tree, adjusting it so it sat just right. Levi took some thin rope from one of his pockets and tied it in place, releasing his hooks from the trees before leaping towards Eren. The titan brought his hands up fast, catching Levi in a giant palm in a motion born of practice and pulling the man up to his face. Levi leaned into his cheek, arms spread wide, grabbing some of the long strands that fell into Eren's eyes and hiding in them.

"I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. You're tree is perfect. Thank you for finding one for us."

Eren huffed out a sound of agreement, unsure how to respond to that with his limited vocal capacity. He'd never had to say 'you're welcome' or 'it's okay' as a titan before. He could feel Levi's body on his skin, pressing against his face, hands sliding through his hair. _God,_ Eren was such a _sap,_ and he needed to shift back to his human form now before Levi had to tell Hange how big a titan's tears were, or whether they were salty or not. He gently set Levi on the ground, and then moved out to lay in the street facedown before shifting. It was easier than way, and Eren had shifted back and forth enough times that he had it down to a science. In a few minutes his titan would melt away into nothingness, not even a trace of it left on the pavement. When he pulled out of the back of his titan's neck Levi was there already, catching him before he stumbled away, an arm tucked under Eren's shoulder. Levi pressed a kiss to Eren's cheek, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

"Let's get you in bed."

Eren nodded, knowing better than to argue. It was much easier for him to recover from a shift now, and after a couple hours of sleep and a good meal he'd be fine. So he let Levi lead him into their bedroom and tug off his messy clothes, tucking him into clean sheets, uncaring of how filthy Eren was. Levi lay down on top of him, burying his face in Eren's neck, hugging him tight through the bedding. His words were muffled, but they reached Eren's ears just fine.

"I love you. Don't be mad at me. I'm sorry." Eren grinned, reaching one hand up to play in Levi's hair.

"I'm not mad at you. I love you too." He felt the silk of those dark strands on his fingertips for a bit, sifting through them lazily, Levi's weight on him comforting and familiar. "What are we gonna do with the other tree?"

"I'll bring it inside while you rest. We still need one in the house, right? You got all those decorations, and they were too small for the one outside." Sleep pulled heavy on Eren's eyes, and he let them fall closed unchallenged.

"Don't decorate it without me. I want to help."

"Okay. I'll wait for you." 

Eren kissed the top of Levi's head, breathing in his scent before relaxing back against the pillow. He fell asleep with the smell of tea in his nose, and Levi's body warm on his own.

.........................................

It was well into the evening by the time they got around to decorating the tree that now stood in their living room, the sun having long since dropped out of the sky. Eren bathed in water that Levi had waiting on him when he woke up from his nap, and ate a meal that was ready on the table. He couldn't help but feel warm at the sight of it. Levi was all harsh looks and rough commands at work, but he always took care of Eren with easy hands and hidden smiles and quiet words pressed into warm lips. They'd lazed around through the afternoon, Levi cleaning absently while Eren finished wrapping the few presents they had to give out the next day. A book for Armin, clothes for Mikasa (with pockets, so she could carry a knife), a strange crystal of some sort he'd found in a shop downtown for Hange. He'd gone outside to admire Levi's handiwork on the tree before they lost the light, his husband scowling beneath the praise Eren lavished on him as he always did. Levi couldn't take a compliment without grousing and glaring, but that pink on his cheeks had nothing to do with the cold, and Eren pressed his lips to it with a smile.

After eating dinner and putting away all the dishes Eren retrieved the box he'd stored their decorations in, all of them brand new, as they'd never had a Christmas like this before. He strung bright red tinsel in looping circles around the fir tree, much smaller than the one outside but still looming quite large in their living room. Levi unwrapped the glass ornaments, pulling tissue paper off of each one and positioning them carefully on the tree. They were red and silver, little snowflakes etched into the surface, and once Eren finished with the tinsel he helped Levi arrange them in the branches. There were also a half dozen or so of the ugliest reindeer figures Levi had ever seen, but Eren insisted on them, so they went up as well. Levi drew the line at candles, saying he 'didn't feel like celebrating Christmas by burning alive in his own home'. He'd also declined to allow Eren and Hange to string popcorn together, the idea of having food as a decoration appalling to him in some basic way.

All that remained was the star, and Levi made no move to put it on. He would have to go get a chair, and the branches were so wide at the bottom it would still be a stretch for him to get it in the treetop. Levi outright refused to stand on a chair and get on his tiptoes while Eren watched, smirking, fighting back laughter. So the scout did it himself, without too much trouble, and when he was done Levi lit a fire in the fireplace and laid out their blankets and pillows in front of it. Eren cocked his head curiously, and Levi mumbled out words, eyes on the ground.

"You're a sap, I figured you'd want to cuddle in front of the fire by your stupid tree on our first real Christmas Eve." Eren just stared for long moments before breaking out into a grin, watching Levi's face blush bright and hot. He walked over and pulled him into a hug, face buried in Levi's hair. The scent of tea lingering in the strands, along with shampoo and a hint of something sweet Eren could not place. He nosed at Levi's dark locks, rubbed slow circles on his back.

"My tree isn't stupid and you know it."

"Shut up. I'm trying to be nice."

"By calling my tree stupid?" 

That earned Eren a slap to the back of his head, which he deserved, probably. Levi had dragged a bunch of scouts from their duties on Christmas Eve. Forced them to dig a hole in his yard and shove Eren's tree in it. Tore up sheets for makeshift tinsel, stole wooden cutouts from Garrison Troop headquarters to hang in those giant branches. Donned his gear to decorate the thing, maneuvering above their yard with oversized candy canes and poorly painted snowflakes, just to make Eren smile. Now he was building a nest of pillows and comforters at the foot of their tree, in front of a roaring fire, because he knew Eren would like it. Was offering to lay down _in the floor,_ and Erem thought his heart might break, it was so full. Levi fucking _loved him,_ and no matter how many times the scout woke up wrapped in strong arms, or listened to him mumble out the words, he would never get used to it.

Eren took them down to the floor in a smooth gesture, easing Levi gently back into their pile of blankets, and he made no move to resist. Eren had to lift Levi's chin up before he would meet his eyes, but when he did they were shy and uncertain. Levi thought he was still upset, somehow, but how could he be? Levi would bend over backwards to make Eren happy, and he felt fresh affection for his husband wash through him. He brought their mouths close together, pausing a breath away from Levi's lips, eyes dancing as they looked down on him.

"Thank you, Levi. I love you."

Eren kissed Levi then, because he didn't need to hear the words back from him to know they were true. Just licked his way into Levi's mouth, delighting in the feel of those strong hands sliding under his sweater. He shed it in an instant, tugging Levi out of his own shirt and not pausing to appreciate the sight for more than a few moments. More than he needed to see Levi, Eren needed to taste his skin, to feel his lips. There would be time later to stare at him, to watch Levi's muscles flex under his fingers. To trace the line of his jaw, the swell of his biceps. The curve of his ass, the heft of those thighs. Eren eased in between them, and they parted for him just enough. He licked his way up Levi's body, lingering over his pink nipples so long that there were hands tugging at Eren's hair, beautiful breathy noises in his ears as Levi writhed beneath him. Levi arched into Eren's mouth, heels digging into the scout's spine as he tried to force him closer. Eventually Levi made an frustrated sound and tugged Eren's face up to his own, a palm splayed out over each of the boy's cheeks. Levi took his mouth, tongue sliding along Eren's lips, demanding entrance that he was glad to grant.

They stayed there, mouthing wetly at one another until their lips began to swell under the strain. Heat seeped into Eren that had nothing to do with the fire, and every little thing about Levi hit him hard in the chest all at once. His hands in Eren's hair, the noises he made as he tried to pull the him impossibly closer. Levi's own dark strands falling in his face, pale skin flushing with want. The sting of teeth in Eren's bottom lip, the staccato rasp of his breathing, growing erratic as they twisted together. So familiar that Eren could see it with his eyes closed, just how perfectly Levi unraveled in his arms. A work of art that was best appreciated in ragged fragments, and Eren would piece him back together with easy hands and warm lips and words mumbled against a desperate mouth.

Finally Levi grew impatient, grinding up against Eren with a moan, wrapping his legs around the scout's waist to draw them closer together. Eren let out a pained noise, something between a grunt and a whine that would have been embarrassing if they hadn't already been through hell together. He palmed Levi through his clothes, delighting in the shameless rutting of those hips, before starting to work his superior's pants open. The ties gave him trouble, and he had to pull back from Levi's kiss to undo them, growling at the strings. The knots were intricate, and he felt Levi grinning down at him as he unraveled the ties.

"Do you tie it like this to fuck with me? Every god damned time. We're not rigging up ropes to lift shit to the ramparts, Levi. They're your pajama pants, are you _serious_ , you fucking-" 

Levi laughed and batted his hands away, untying the knot gracefully and without trouble. Eren glared at him, tugging the ties open with rough gestures and pulling his pants and briefs off so fast Levi was jerked briefly into the air. Eren pounced on him then, fisting his arousal and stroking it with the ease that came from repetition. It was not a slow discovery of each other's bodies, learning where to touch, or where to tease. This was Eren's husband, and he knew every inch of Levi like the back of his hand. He planted sucking kisses along Levi's throat, working his length shamelessly, Eren's free hand slipping down to slide over Levi's entrance. Rubbed circles there for a moment, easing back from the bruise he was pulling up on Levi's collarbone to glance around.

"Did you bring-"

"On the mantle."

Eren chuckled at the eagerness in Levi's voice, though he could not really fault him. A few untangled limbs and quick steps over to their fireplace, and Eren retrieved the glass bottle of clear oil sitting on top of the mantlepiece. He collapsed back on top of Levi gracelessly, sprawling in front of him and popping the cork open to drip fluid over his fingers. The glass vial was recapped, less carefully than the Captain would have liked, and promptly forgotten about as Eren eased back between Levi's thighs. Slipped his hand down to slick lube across Levi's entrance, and it was all messy kisses and twisting hands as he worked Levi open with a haste that was born of need. There was too much adoration in him all at once, and Eren needed to fill Levi with it right then. Needed buried inside him, connected together as one. Needed to feel their hearts trying to beat from their chests to get at each other, just like they always did. It was not long before he was pressing his crown into Levi, one hand guiding his length in, the other braced on the floor next to his husband's head. Eren threw the Captain's legs over his shoulders, dusting light kisses across Levi's calves, nuzzling into them affectionately. Ran his tongue over the line of scarring left from the 3D gear, and Levi made the prettiest fucking sound when Eren bottomed out inside him, skin flush against skin.

The scout held onto Levi as he moved, hands shifting restlessly from his hips to his chest, tangling in raven hair, dancing over sweat damp skin. The air between them tasted warm in Eren's lungs, their breathing rough and gasping. Levi called out Eren's name, and he responded in kind, a song they sang in voices full of gravel with moans of desperation. He took Levi there in the floor until they were both aching, Eren's knees sore from the angle, his husband a writhing mess of pink skin and half lidded eyes. They came together the first time, and after that it was Eren coaxing orgasms out of Levi as he struggled to keep his own at bay. He needed to make it good for Levi, needed him spent and sated, wearing that euphoric smile he had when Eren left him well and truly fucked. Finally it was there on his husband's face after his last climax, hazy eyes and white teeth and so much love Eren couldn't help but stutter out his orgasm inside of Levi, and he spoke the words he hadn't said earlier, and they were soft and warm and familiar.

_I love you, Eren._

They cleaned up half heartedly before Levi tugged Eren's sweater on against the cold and fell back into their nest of pillows and blankets. It was too big on him, sleeves swallowing Levi's hands down to the fingertips, fabric falling off one shoulder. Eren just cocked up one elbow and rested his head in his palm, smiling down at Levi as he threaded fingers through Levi's hair. Stroked his cheeks, traced the curve of that one pale shoulder. Kissed it softly before pulling Levi into his arms and covering them in blankets, rubbing their noses together as he threw a leg over his husband. Levi blinked up at him sleepily, and then something like realization flashed across those steely eyes. He looked almost sheepish, and he hid in Eren's chest before before speaking, words muffled against the Eren's skin.

"Oh. I uh... I made you cookies while you were sleeping. Gingerbread. They're wrapped up in the oven." Eren let that sink in, smiling wide and hugging Levi tighter.

"You made me cookies?" The scout felt Levi shrug, and he sank deeper into Eren's arms, trying to disappear in them.

"I thought you might still be mad at me. Figured it couldn't hurt." _Oh, Levi._ He hated baking, and barely ever ate sweets, yet he'd made Eren cookies. He pressed a kiss into Levi's hair, thumbing over those cheeks he could not see, and there was the heat of a blush in them.

"You're so sweet."

"Fuck you, am not." 

Eren laughed, but didn't argue the point. They lay there in front of the fire, in an out of sleep, voices hushed like they would disturb the peace of the evening. When the clock chimed midnight Levi had fallen asleep, but Eren was still staring. Still stroking Levi's skin, and playing in his hair. Disbelieving how lucky he was, even after all this time.

"Happy birthday, love."

Tomorrow morning Levi would scowl as Eren gave him presents, and they would drink tea and eat cookies in their pile of blankets. Hange would probably come barging in fairly early, without knocking, and later on they'd have to go to Mikasa and Armin's house to exchange gifts. It would be a day full of friends and family, eating lunch with their squad at the local Scout Headquarters, and maybe heading downtown to watch the holiday parade. But those first few moments of quiet, the walls of their home familiar around them, Levi still somnolent in his arms as Eren wished him a Merry Christmas...

Those would be his favorite. Eren already knew.


End file.
